purist

American  

[pyoor-ist] / ˈpyʊər ɪst /

noun

1. a person who advocates the strictest application of the principles or standards in any field, or who insists on purity in language, style, etc..

   When making hip-hop he began as a purist, putting most of the focus on solid lyrics and less on working with the music and production.

2. Fine Arts. Often Purist a practitioner of purism, an early 20th-century style of art characterized by the use of simple geometric forms and images evoking manufactured objects.

   The Purists saw their painting as the next step in the evolution of modern art after Cubism, which they found too decorative.

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adjective

1. relating to or being a purist.

   The purist view of theater design is that if there is a column or pillar anywhere, there is a problem.

Other Word Forms

• hyperpurist noun
• nonpuristic adjective
• puristic adjective
• puristical adjective
• puristically adverb
• unpuristic adjective

Etymology

Origin of purist

First recorded in 1695–1705; from French puriste, equivalent to pur(e) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

As a member of Gen Z, I have had the option of reading books digitally for most of my life—and I didn’t initially start out as a physical-book purist.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

For a purist, and drivers who want to be on the limit at all times, this is not ideal.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

“It’s not purist at all. It’s more primitive, like a barn converted into a house, massive and cozy at the same time.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 19, 2026

The actual fighting is recalled in a rather purist fashion, the emphasis on strategy, bravery, near-tragedy and the occasional miracle: Cpl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Many people, particularly sticklers, are under the impression that every bubbe meise ever loosed on the world by a self-proclaimed purist will be backed up by the major dictionaries and manuals.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker